Ulterior Motive
by Dyslexic CSI
Summary: A serial killer is on the loose and NCIS is called in to investigate the crimes. Can they get to the murderer before he gets to one of them leaving the team short of a member? Final chapter up and yes its Kate/Gibbs
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing that looks or sounds familiar except for the vivid thoughts and imagination.

**A/N: **I know i said I was going to be on leave for a while but it got cut short so I'm back with a new story. I'm trying my hand at writing a case type thing so be lenient and patient with me please. Now on with the show.

This is set after Twilight but as I said I am in twilight denail so Kate is still alive and I just watched the episode Probie and I do not like the new Director hence I am bit mean to her.

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Ulterior Motive

Chapter 1 

The sound of sandpaper scraping on wood filled the basement, breaking the easy silence the two occupants in it were sharing. With each stroke the pressure on the sander increased, sanding on the wood until the wood felt exceptionally smooth to his touch. Gibbs had been at it for over two hours already and it looked like he had no intention of letting up anytime soon.

Sitting in the corner reading and occasionally looking up to admire him work was the attractive redhead who sometimes dropped him off or fetched him from work. Once in a while when he got home from work she would be there waiting for him so they could have dinner together and then retreat to the basement for some 'bonding time'.

This usually meant he would work on his boat and she would read or complete the workload she had brought home from the office that day or she would just sit and watch him work on his boat, and they would discuss how their days at work had been, whether it was good or in this case how crap Gibbs's day had been.

Tonight, however, Gibbs seemed unusually quiet and more distant than he normally was. Dinner was eaten in silence and he did not even offer to help clean the kitchen or wash the dishes, opting to shower first and then go straight to work on his boat. When she had eventually finished cleaning up the kitchen and came down to the basement she sensed something was bothering him.

She worked on her papers for a while before broaching the subject, "bad day at work Gibbs?" she asked politely. He kept sanding, not answering her question immediately, and debating on whether he should keep the conversation going or not. When he found no reason not to answer her he replied, "Yep". He did not say anything else, prompting her to ask a second question, "do you want to talk about it?" she sounded concerned. "Nope!" he said finally in a tone that suggested the conversation was over.

Flashback…The Beginning of the Day.

His day had started out nice enough not to be grumpy, but that changed about an hour after he had walked into the bullpen, coffee cup held securely in his right hand. Kate and DiNozzo were at it as usual, but for some reason he did not find it irritating or annoying as he usually did. McGee was sitting at his desk looking amusedly at his two co-workers, and smiling to himself as he heard Kate lecture Tony on his behaviour toward women or the lack thereof.

As he settled down to read the casefile they were currently busy with he saw Director Sheppard walk up into his bullpen and made her way to his desk, coming to a halt only when she could not get any closer to him owing to the desk that now stood between them. This caused Kate and Tony to stop their bickering and the three agents turned their attention to their Boss and the Director.

"Is there something you need Madame Director?" Gibbs asked as he looked up from the file in his hand. The smug smile on her face made him feel like telling her to get out of his face but he controlled the urge. "Actually Agent Gibbs I wanted to have a word with you!" she answered. When he made no effort to stand or even move form his desk she added, "In private". "Anything you want to say to me you can say to my team" he responded nonchalantly.

Just as she started speaking the phone on his desk began to ring and he held up his index finger indicating her to be quiet as he answered the call. "Gibbs" he grunted into the receiver. This was followed by a short silence and a series of nods and uh-huhs and finally he said "We're on our way," and placed the receiver back into the cradle. He ordered the team to gear up and threw the keys of the sedan to DiNozzo and said "you're driving."

Before the Director could get another word out of her mouth the team was already at the elevator and on their way to the parking lot heading toward the crime scene. Damn she would have to wait until they returned from wherever they had been called to. At this moment she hated that she was The Director and not a field agent who could accompany Gibbs.

When they got to the scene, an alleyway in a down trodden part of the city they were met with a gruesome find. A young woman was lying on the floor; her limbs splayed in what they knew were uncomfortable positions, cuts and bruises covering the parts of her body where her clothes had been ripped open. There were blood stains everywhere and it looked like there had been a major struggle, with a fatal ending for the girl now lying on the hard snow covered ground.

After taking pictures, sketching, taking measurements and Ducky estimating the time of death, the team had seen enough to want to just leave the scene. They tried talking to witnesses in the area but nobody seemed to know anything or they just did not want to talk… and so they gave up trying… for the moment.

Back at HQ they went down to Abby's lab to see if she had found anything out of the ordinary, but it was too soon to tell, even though she had got the evidence bags long before the team had returned. It would still take a couple of hours to get any results. "Abby" Gibbs said as he walked into the lab followed by the rest of his entourage, "how much longer?" he sounded impatient. "You can't rush science Gibbs!" was the reply he received from his lab rat.

"Kate" he turned around to face her, "pull up the records on the victim, Commander Cameron Smith. See whatever you can find and get back to me as soon as possible. McGee and DiNozzo I want you guys to search her apartment and see what you guys come up with," he added as he walked up to Kate invading her personal space. He loved doing that to her, he knew it made her somewhat uncomfortable and extremely self conscious.

The moment was cut short however, by the arrival of the Director and he saw her fixedly watching the interaction between himself and Kate. She was not happy about it, and he could tell by the way her facial expression had changed but lasted only a few minutes.

"Agent Gibbs" she had started again "I want one of your team members to assist me with something very urgent," she stated in a non debating tone. "We're busy on a case Madame Director" he replied in the same tone "find a team that has people to spare" he added. "Agent Gibbs this is not a request it's an order!" she said forcefully impelling him to send one of his agents.

"DiNozzo assist the Director with whatever she wants to do," he ordered Tony. "Actually Jethro I want Special Agent Todd and not DiNozzo" and she left the lab and no room for any further discussion. Her use of his first name put him in a bit of a compromising position but he would deal with that later as he saw the look on his three agents' and one lab technician's faces.

He nodded for Kate to follow the Director out of the lab and assist her with whatever it was she needed help with. Kate did so with no protest knowing it was pointless to do so at the moment. His day had gone all downhill from that point on.

End of Flashback 

The search conducted by DiNozzo and Mcee did not produce any results and he was no closer to catching the dirtbag who was responsible for the dead Commander now lying on a cold slab in Ducky's Autopsy room. Well at least it couldn't get any worse… he thought to himself.

The ring of his cellphone brought him out of his thoughts, and the silence was once again broken. Looking at the caller ID he saw Fornell's name blinking on the screen. Why on earth would the FBI agent call at this hour of the night? Nonetheless he answered the call "Gibbs" he said into the receiver.

Without saying hello or any other pleasantries Fornell said "Gibbs I need to come to this address!" he sounded distressed. "Right now?" Gibbs was by now very surprised. "Yes Gibbs right now and don't tell anyone where you're headed until you get here!" "I'm on my way" Gibbs grabbed his coat and keys and made his way up the basement staircase.

"Where are you headed at this time of the evening?" the redhead asked. "Work" he replied giving no other explanation and was gone. He sped to address Fornell had given him over the phone was surprised to see squad cars blocking the area and the perimeter was sealed to civilians. Showing his badge and ID he was allowed access to the scene, walking on until he reached Fornell.

"What do you got?" he asked the other agent. "Woman, early twenties beaten up, not sure what provoked the attack, nothing stolen," Fornell summed up the scene in front of them. "She a marine, or belong to the Navy or military in any way?" Gibbs asked. "No" was the reply. "Then why'd you call me Fornell?" Gibbs asked exasperatedly.

I think you should take a closer look…

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Thats it for now. I am currently busy with Chapter 2 but I'm not sure where I wan to take this just yet so it might be a while before the next chapther comes.

As usual feedback is greatly appreciated and the more the reviews the more it will prompt me to do the next chapter.

laterz

hellraiser.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

A/N: Okay I know I said this was going to be like a epsiode kinda fic but I just couldnt get anywhere with it so decided to change it's course a bit.

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Chapter II

The uneasy feeling he got after he received Fornell's call only increased with each step he took toward the body lying in the ground. The knee length red coat sprawled on the floor looked very familiar to him, though he could not remember where he had last seen it. He halted when he was right over the figure on the ground and his breath hitched when he saw the cuts and bruises on the victim's face and body.

Even though he had seen victims who were worse off than the one in front of him, this one still made him recoil a bit. Kneeling on one knee so he could get a closer look at her face he placed his index and middle fingers on the side of her neck impulsively feeling for a pulse. He found one, but it was barely there, causing him to shout "she's still alive!" with surprise. We need an ambulance here!" and within minutes there were agents frantically making calls to who he assumed were emergency medical people. He did not expect her to be alive with the way she looked.

Wanting to get a better look at her face Gibbs brushed the tangled blood clotted hair off of her face and drew in a sharp breath causing his lungs to go into a spasm and a sharp pain to rise in his chest.

Her face had numerous contusions, cuts, and injuries, and a long gash ran from her left temple to her mouth and the right side of her head was caked with dried blood. He was unsure of what trauma she had endured to have that much of blood pool around her hair and face.

When it seemed like an eternity later, there were still no signs of any emergency medical personnel near them Gibbs decided to take matters into his own hands. She was still alive and he would do everything in his power to keep her that way. She looked way worse than the victim they had found that morning and was now peacefully resting on a slab in autopsy.

Forgetting that this was still a crime scene he reached out to touch her again, only to be stopped by Fornell "Special Agent Gibbs this is still a crime scene and I can't let you touch her, leaving your fingerprints and contaminate my scene." He handed Gibbs a pair of white latex gloves and offered him a ghost of a smile.

Reluctantly, he took the gloves from the FBI agent and shoved his hands into them and then proceeded to look for any sort of documentation that would identify her, even though he knew very well who she was. He didn't want to do it, but it was part of the investigative process.

Still there was no sign of any medical staff and Gibbs had long ago lost his temper. Not wanting to wait any longer and knowing every second counted, he gathered her up in his arms and started walking back toward his car. He would take her to the hospital himself if it meant it would save her life.

"Gibbs you can't do that" Fornell started to protest as he saw what the NCIS agent was doing, "she is still part of the crime scene." Gibbs turned around, giving Fornell a deathly stare, and not saying anything, but daring him to suggest other alternatives. "Gibbs you can't move her until our medical examiner has examined her!" Fornell continued.

This did nothing to calm Gibbs down; in fact all it did do was anger and annoy him further than he already was. "Fornell" he said quietly but still with authority, "she's cold, blue and barely has a pulse, your medics are taking too long to get here and there is no way in hell I'm going to leave here to wait for your ME and let her die! So if you have a better idea I'm all ears and if not…" he did not finish the sentence and continued walking toward his car.

Fornell had seen the defiant look in his long-time friend's eye and he knew there was no way anybody could have changed Gibbs's mind no matter how hard they tried. Besides if he were in Gibbs's position he would have done the same thing. "I'll see you later, call me if you need anything" Fornell shouted to Gibbs's retreating figure.

He reached his car, placed the gravely injured woman in the backseat and tried to make her as comfortable as he thought was possible, but with the state she was in, he doubted any position would have been comfortable enough. He decided he shouldn't stall any longer, got into the front seat and sped down the FBI infested street toward Bethesda Naval Hospital.

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A/N 2: So there is chapter 2 Hope you guys liked it . Please leave your thoughts behind and any idead you guys come up will be apprecaited

thanx

hellraiser


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

A/N: After a hectic week at work getting there when the sun was still down and leaving long after the sun had set I was tired and needed to take a break and it resulted in a chapter being totally about my occupation and work.

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Chapter III

A rapid ten minute drive later when he reached Bethesda Naval Hospital Gibbs was still fuming. He picked up the injured, unconscious woman from the backseat of his car and rushed to the casualty entrance of the hospital. He did not notice her wounds had started bleeding again and the blood was oozing out and staining his shirt in the process.

Pushing the doors open with his back and entering the hospital he shouted in his most authorative voice and thus got the attention of the nurses who were on duty. Seeing the battered woman in the man's arms the nurses were instantly on their feet taking the load off of his arms and placing the woman on an emergency trolley and wrapped her up in a thermal blanket for the moment as they saw the pallid colour of her lips and skin and they knew the chances of her surviving did not look good.

While a few nurses had started assessing her injuries and started treating the not so bad ones the senior nurse walked up to Gibbs hoping to get some information from him about the woman's life they were desperately trying to save. Getting the little bit of information from him she ran back to the emergency trolley where the others were working frantically to save the woman's life.

His gut told him there was something wrong, but then again whole situation was wrong. He was not supposed to be here, he was supposed to be at home working on his boat and the woman now fighting for her life was supposed to be out on a date with a good looking guy, promising her the world and all the happiness he could buy.

Gibbs did not even notice when the doctor had entered the department and started shouting orders and what he assumed to be names of drugs he needed to sedate the patient who was now groaning with pain. Whatever was being said by the doctor sounded like it was being said in a language that Gibbs for the life of him could not understand.

When his brain had finally calmed down enough to process and interpret what the man in charge was saying he heard words like X-ray and CT scans of the patient's skull, facial bones, chest, abdomen and brain. At the mention of the last one Gibbs feared that there might have been brain damage in the victim as she had received blows to her head, and that was why there was so much of blood pooled around her head when he had first seen her. Blood tests were also ordered to check if she was drugged.

After two hours of being carefully wrapped up in the thermal blanket she had begun to get her usual colour back with the blue and white tinges being replaced with a bright red colour. She had also been wiped and cleaned so all the blood that had settled on her face and body was no longer there and he was able to get a better look at her.

She looked much better now that her wounds were cleaned, stitched and bandaged. An hour later after all the x-rays and CT scans were done she was wheeled into a private ward where no one would be able to have access to her.

When the results of the CT scans arrived he was both relieved and worried. He did not know on which side of the fence she would fall on, whether the reports would show that she was well enough to go home as soon as she woke up or whether she had internal damage done that could not be repaired or would take time to heal. Waiting for somebody to come in and explain the writing on the papers was proving to be the most trying task for him that evening.

He settled down a bit when he saw the doctor who was in the casualty room treating her; arrive at the door to her ward. At least now he would have more information, but he was not sure if he wanted to hear the results of all the tests. It was inevitable, however and then he would know how bad it really was. Maybe he was just worried for nothing.

The doctor had a look at the reports and smiled at Gibbs. "Well it seems she was one extremely lucky woman, with all that bruising and hitting all she managed to come out with is a broken scaphoid and fractures of the 10th and 11th left posterior ribs. We'll set the wrist in a cast later that will help it heal better and as for the ribs that will take time; she just needs to take it easy for a while – no strenuous work for her."

All Gibbs could do was nod and smile, happy with the news that she was going to survive and no extreme untreatable damage had been inflicted on her. "Thanks" was all he could mumble before the doctor retreated from the room and Gibbs pulled up a chair and sat nest to the bed next to her as close as he could without touching any of the wires or tubes coming out from or attached to her. Finally he dozed off to sleep - unintentionally.

The sun was starting to rise and he knew he had to go back to work even though all he wanted to do was stay here with her until she woke up. He was not entirely sure if she was in the best care available or even if she was safe he reluctantly decided he would go to work for a few hours.

He took a last glance at her and sighed heavily, hating that she was hooked up to so many machines and she needed a ventilator to help her breath, knowing there was nothing he could do to help her at this specific moment. There was one thing he could help her with though, help catch the bastard who put her in this hospital room in the first place. With that thought in mind he stormed out of her room and made his way down the corridor.

He did not notice the looks he received from the people who were standing in the passageways waiting to visit other patients. The blood stains had by now settled into his white undershirt and had turned to a dark brown colour, and showed no sign of fading anytime soon.

He didn't bother going home first, wanting to get to the bottom of this as soon as he possibly could, and drove to NCIS HQ instead of his house which was in the opposite direction.

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As usual you guys know what to do...

leave me a little something to read as well.

thanx

hellraiser


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See chapter I

A/N : Hey people thanks for all the reviews you guys have left me. Here's the next chapter I hope it still keeps you guys hooked. I deided to post a day earlier before all the Harry Potter craze hit everyone and everywhere and lest I forgot about this little fic in ll that mayhem...

Okay enough of my blabbering and on with the new chapter.

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Chapter IV

Taking the elevator up to the bullpen he strode into it purposefully and for once there was no coffee cup glued to his right hand. The looks he received from the people in the hospital were nothing compared to those he received from DiNozzo and McGee as he made his way to his desk. The two exchanged anxious looks with each other, neither one gaining the courage to ask the older man what was going on.

As he sat down at his desk, Abby came bouncing out of the elevator and made her way to where the three men were sitting. At the sight of him she stopped in her tracks, "wow Gibbs you look like you've been to a war zone" was the only statement that came to her mind and before she knew it out of her mouth as well.

"Where have you been Boss?" Tony ventured, after he saw that Gibbs did not respond to Abby's statement but not sure if his superior was even going to answer his question. "What are you guys blabbering about?" Gibbs asked the three of them. "Uh Gibbs maybe you should change your T-shirt" Abby pointed at his chest indicating for him to look down and he finally saw the reason he was getting such weird looks from the people he passed.

Walking up to the filing cabinet next to DiNozzo's desk he took out a clean set of clothes from the third drawer and headed toward the showers. The fall of the hot water on his body did nothing to relax or calm him down as he hoped it would.

Returning to the bullpen after his shower, he held the bloodstained piece of clothing in his latex gloved hand and waving it in Abby's direction. "Abbs can you get anything from these stains?" "It depends on what you're looking for my silver haired fox," she replied still smiling at him.

"I'll see you in the lab in about 10 minutes" he told the lab tech who had taken a hold of the shirt and was already on her way to the elevator. "DiNozzo I want you to get Agent Cassidy here yesterday." "Boss why do we need Cassidy here? We already have a full team" came the reply from his senior agent. "Which reminds me, where is Kate? She's never this late for work!" he observed. "She was working with the Director yesterday, maybe she's already in and you just haven't seen her" Gibbs replied.

Just as he finished his sentence the redhead director came down the staircase leading from her office and MTAC. "Special Agent Gibbs could I see you for a minute please?" she asked looking around at the team minus Kate and smiling a little to herself. "I see Agent Todd is not here yet, as soon as she comes in send her up to my office Agent DiNozzo!" she gloated with the rage inducing smile she had fixed Gibbs with the previous day.

Walking away from Gibbs's desk she retreated to Kate's desk leaning against it with Gibbs leaning in exceptionally close to her. "Gibbs where is Todd? She's usually not late for work!" she questioned Gibbs "She was working with you yesterday Madame Director, so you should know where she is! Besides, I don't see how you can lose an agent in your own federal building," he replied irritably. "And I'm sure she has a very good reason for not being here right now!" he finished.

Turning his attention back to his team he started barking orders again. "DiNozzo I don't think Cassidy is going to get here by herself," making the senior agent grab his stuff and rush out of the bullpen. "McGee I want you to pull up all records of the victim we found yesterday and I mean everything from where she was born, what school she went to where she had her last meal" he ordered with more force than he knew was necessary.

Then he made his way to the elevator to see his lab tech happy to get away from the redheaded woman still standing in front of him and annoying him to an unexplainable extent. "Anything else I can help you with Madame Director?" he asked icily. When she did not answer he fixed her with the Gibbs glare he reserved for DiNozzo and continued walking to the elevator.

McGee hoped Kate would come to work soon as that seemed to be the only thing that would calm Gibbs down from his extremely bad mood, and it would mean he would have more help on finding the information on the victim. "Where can she be?" he thought to himself an uneasy feeling settling in what Gibbs would have called 'his gut.'

Tony seemed to be having better luck than McGee and although he was looking forward to seeing Agent Cassidy he was not sure what her reaction to him showing up unannounced on her doorstep would be. Still the Boss-man had asked for her help, okay maybe demanded her help and Tony was not going to disobey when he was in such a bad mood.

Knocking on her door, Cassidy opened after the third knock, the surprise of seeing him there showing clearly on her face. Tony how did you know I was back?" she asked him. "Actually I didn't it was Gibbs's gut, he told me to come here and get you. We need help on a case since we're a team member short." "Tony I'm on leave, I don't get paid to work cases while I'm on leave" she countered.

"Look Paula" he said seriously "Gibbs would not have asked for you personally if it were not a high priority case so can we just get on with it?" He was not in a mood for a debate and he let it be known. "I wonder where Kate is, since she's not at work and the Director seems to have lost her. I hope she's okay!" he said more to himself than both of them but Cassidy had heard him. "I'm sure she's fine, she's a big girl Tony she can look after herself," Cassidy tried to console him but it was not working. Just as with McGee an uneasy feeling had settled within him.

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So there it is, hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it, in a weird way. By the way we're still in the middle of season 3 where Paula is still alive abd therefore she is in my story.

Leave your comments and thoughts behind and suggestions as to where this story should go will also be appreciated.

thanx

hellraiser


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

**A/N: **Here's another chapter to those of you who were eagerly awaiting it. Hope it satisfies your curiousity. Sorry for all the spelling and grammar errors they're all mine. Enjoy

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Chapter V

A quick elevator ride later he found himself in Abby's lab. He saw she had already cut up the blood stained material into pieces and was hard at work trying to process whatever she could get from it. "What do you want me to look for Sir-Boss-Gibbs?" she was still bouncy and Gibbs was sure once she had processed everything her outlook would change and she would not be in such a carefree mood.

"Find out if there were any drugs in the blood though you might not get anything because it's long dried out" he answered. She noticed he was not his usual self; yes he was still grumpy, moody and a bit harsh with her but there was something else that was amiss. Whatever he had been involved in the evening before was taking its toll on him and it was not in a good way.

"Would you like me to run a match on the blood type in the system database?" she asked politely, seeing as that was the one test he didn't ask her to do. Usually that was the first thing anybody asked but he did not and it surprised her a bit. He looked at her in confusion and then remembered who it was that was currently in that damn hospital bed,

"No Abbs its not necessary I already know who's blood it is, just do your thing and I want the results in an hour!" he demanded. He knew it was impossible but time was of the essence, especially if the two attacks were related. He offered no other explanation before walking out of the lab in a rush.

The next stop he made was at Autopsy where he saw Ducky was still at work on the Commander the team had found in the alley way the day before. "What do you got Duck?" "Aah Jethro I was just about to call you!" the medical examiner said as a response to Gibbs's question. Gibbs just fixed him with a questioning look.

"She was definitely attacked very violently. "Both her upper limbs show she tried to defend herself and fight back but with no success." He walked over to the viewing board with numerous X-rays and CT pictures on them. "Both upper arms show fractures of immense trauma, broken in more than two places," he pointed out.

"Her spinal column has been severed in two places one at cervical vertebrae 2 and the other at lumbar vertebrae one, with both being crippling injuries to her, as both result in total of paralysis of the entire body."

"So what you're saying is she died because of the spinal injuries" Tony entered the Autopsy room with Agent Cassidy in tow. She did not look too happy to be there, Gibbs noticed but she would have to deal with it. "It is a definitely a possibility but I found some other interesting fractures, on her legs. Both her femurs were fractured at the necks making it impossible for her to walk after she had been beaten and her right ankle was twisted the wrong way round," Ducky finished talking before DiNozzo started.

"So what are you saying Ducky?" Tony was now really confused as Ducky seemed to rule all out all the injuries she sustained as a cause of her death. "See the blood here and here Anthony?" Ducky asked pointing at her wrists and ankles, where there was what looked like bruises. "This happens when the victim is already dead and is then tied up causing the blood to pool like this. "Which means she was already dead when all the fracturing and mauling of the body happened" Cassidy finished for Ducky.

"So we got nothing!" Gibbs was by now officially pissed off. "Actually no Gibbs, I found marks here," they look like needle marks," he showed them the pinpricks on the victims forearm leading into the veins "I'm assuming she was injected with drugs or something before all this happened," he waved his finger at the rest of the body. "I've sent blood samples up to Abby already, I'm sure she's working on them right now."

"Thanks Duck" was all Gibbs could manage as he thought once again of the woman lying unconscious in the hospital bed. Yeah she was definitely on of the lucky ones. Turning around he made his way back up to the bullpen to see what McGee had come up with gesturing for the other two agents to follow him.

"McGee what do we know?" he barked before he had even come to his desk. "Uh, Uh nothing Boss" McGee stammered. The look he received from the older agent would have made anyone want to just disappear into thin air at that moment and not deal with him. "It's been three hours and you still have NOTHING!" Gibbs voice had raised enough for everyone on the floor to hear. "Why?"

"We're being blocked Boss" McGee stammered again. "By who Probie" Tony continued. "By uh, by uh…" before McGee could continue another voice stated "that would be us." The four NCIS agents turned around to see Fornell and three of his goons following him to Gibbs's desk.

"Oh this can't be good" Tony whispered loud enough for only them to hear. "The FBI screwing up again for you and your little helpers to be here?" Tony asked. "What makes you think we screwed up?" Fornell challenged him. "Well you are here in our building so I assume you're going to ask us to help fix whatever you people messed up," Tony smiled inanely at him.

"Special Agent Gibbs I'd like a word with you" Fornell looked at Gibbs and Gibbs saw that in his eyes that this was not a time for messing around and having turf wars. "Conference room" Gibbs said as he marched to their usual meeting place Fornell hot on his heels.

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There you go. Hope it wasn't as bad I thought. Still just trying out my hand at a crime/drama thingie. 

You guys know what to do, leave something for me to read as well

laterz

hellraiser :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**A/N:** I know I just updated a few days ago but I might not get a chance to update soon so here's the 6th part of the story. Hope it's better received than the last one. enjoy

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Chapter VI

Unknown to either man the Director had seen them both walking toward the elevator and before either one could enter it she said "Agent Fornell to what do we owe this visit?" The smile she gave made Fornell want to gag but he contained himself.

For the first time in his life it was Gibbs's turn to be surprised. How did Fornell and Director Sheppard know each other? She had only been here for a few weeks and the FBI and NCIS had not shared any investigations and lastly Fornell had not been to NCIS since the messed up case with 'The Terrorist' Ari who was after Gibbs.

"I came to see an old friend Director Sheppard" Fornell replied painfully. "Really? His team didn't seem to think you guys are on friendly terms," she responded warningly. "You know how it gets when we have turf wars Director," was the only thing he could come up with. Gibbs noticed the exchange of words seemed tense, each challenging the other… He needed to find out what was going on between them.

Gibbs had to do that later as his phone had started ringing again. Before he could say Gibbs, Abby was rattling off what she had found in the blood but she was speaking so fast Gibbs had no idea if it was the blood from the victim who was in autopsy or from the blood stained shirt he had handed her earlier that morning. "Abbs slow down I'm on my way to the lab now" he left Fornell and the Director facing each other, speechless.

Entering the lab, he held a huge cup of Caff-Pow for his lab tech as a reward for her work. He knew whatever she had to say now would give him a lead on the damn serial killer who was still on the loose, but not for long. "Gibbs I found something interesting, there was s partial print on the Commander's jacket, I'm running it through the database now." "What about the T-shirt I gave you this morning Abbs?" he asked trying not to sound too anxious.

"I haven't got anything from it yet Gibbs, but I will run more tests right now" she added as she saw the expression on his face. "Hey Abbs Ducky mentioned there were needle pricks on the victim was there anything in the blood samples he sent up?" "No Gibbs she was a diabetic and those were where she had to inject insulin." "Thanks Abbs" he said as he walked out of the lab. "Gibbs?" she called him softly before he was fully out of the lab. He turned to face her and she asked "what happened last night?"

He didn't answer her question instead turned and walked out of the lab, knowing that if he told her it would change her whole mood and she would tell the others. Then Tony and McGee would be distracted and not concentrate on their jobs and it would lead to the breakdown of their team. He would tell them the details when the time was right, and for the present moment they had a killer to catch.

"Where is Fornell" he asked remembering the FBI agent had come in to see him. "He's still with the Director Boss," Tony answered. As he neared the halfway mark of the staircase leading up to the Directors office he heard Tony shout for him. "Boss" he turned to look at Tony. "I think you need to take this call," Tony said holding the receiver in Gibbs's direction. Descending the staircase he walked over to his desk and answered the call. "Gibbs" he barked into the receiver.

Taking notes as the voice on the other end spoke, he hung up and said "grab your gear, they found another body," All three immediately grabbed their stuff and were right behind him. Meeting Fornell's stooges at the end of the passage Gibbs informed them to tell their boss to wait at NCIS until he returned.

The crime scene was just as bad as the previous two Gibbs had seen, and it did not make it any easier. "Tony talk to the people, McGee shoot and sketch, Kate- he stopped when he realised she was not there, Cassidy you can search the area for anything unusual. He squatted next to the body and flashbacks of the previous night returned. She was in way better shape than the victim last night. Well at least she did not look as roughed up as the other two.

"What can you tell me Duck?" "Same as the first one Jethro but I'll know more when I have her back at autopsy." What about time of death?" "Roughly about 4 hours." "Which would make that 1pm this afternoon," Gibbs stated. The cogs in his brain had already started turning when he heard McGee calling him.

"Uh Boss I think you should take a look at this," he sounded uncertain debating on whether he should have shown it to Gibbs or not. It got Cassidy and Tony's attention as well and they both came up to him. "What's up Probie?" McGee handed the note to Gibbs.

There were just three sentences written. _"This one was not as lucky as victim number two was she? Ah well number two's luck is about to run out in a couple of hours! Enjoy it because this will be the last night you spend with her!"_

"What is he talking about this is number two, we found the Commander yesterday morning, and nothing after that," Tony was confused. Gibbs mind was too preoccupied to hear anything that was being said, there was only one thing running thorough his mind. "Tony and McGee finish up here Cassidy with me," he was at his car already by the time she had registered what he had said.

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As usual leave a note for me, Not sure how much longer this is going to get but I think I'm almost halfway through so please bear with me.

thanks

hellraiser


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **See chapter I

**A/N : **Here's the next part. Hope you people enjoy it.

**WARNING: **Not for those people aho like Director Sheppard. As I said before I watched the epsiode Probie (season 3) and I really was put off by her so I'm kinda mean to her... You have been warned.

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Chapter VII

He had until sunrise to save her, and Gibbs was not going to take any chances with her life. He sped back to the NCIS building and didn't even bother parking his car in the designated place before jumping out and racing to the Director's office at warp speed. He took the steps two at a time leaving Agent Cassidy trailing behind him.

He reached the landing and was about to barge into her office when the secretary gave him a warning look. "Who's in there?" he asked the lady sitting behind the desk. "Agent Fornell," she replied, and by this time Agent Cassidy had made her entrance. Gibbs placed his hand on the doorknob and was about to open the door when she piped up again, "the Director asked me to keep everyone out while she has this meeting."

"Too bad she'll have to deal with me right now, she should have thought about that before she screwed up so royally," the anger showed in his voice and the secretary made no further move to stop him from entering the Director's office. Without knocking on the door, he turned the handle and barged in taking both Fornell and Director Sheppard by surprise. He left the door open for Cassidy to be witness to what was about to happen.

"Jethro there is a reason I have a lady sitting outside my office, so she can inform the people who want to see me when I am available." This was not the time to play games with Gibbs; he was a man on a mission. "Cut the crap Jen what's really going on here?" "Nothing Gibbs we were discussing anti terrorist strategies." "Wrong answer Madame Director, do you want to reconsider, maybe thinking before you answer me the second time? Now I am going to ask you again what's really going on here?"

He stepped up into her personal space and her breath hitched, but the look in his eyed was murderous. "If you're trying to intimidate me Jethro you know it's not going to work, I got over that look a long time ago," she was unnerved a little though she did not admit it.

He changed tactics, knowing time was of the essence and that Director Sheppard would just try and stall him. "This was not a coincidence was it Fornell?" they heard the venom in his tone and Fornell knew what just one wrong word would provoke him to do. "No Gibbs it was not a coincidence." "Fornell" the Director tried to reprimand him but it enraged Gibbs more than ever.

"This was a mission between the FBI and NCIS and only a few people were supposed to know about it," the Director continued. Gibbs turned around to face her now, "when were you last briefed on this little mission Madame… Director?" he put more emphasis on the last two words. Yesterday before we left the office," "So much for knowing what was going on in a mission that you no doubt planned or aided in" Gibbs said icily.

"Are you questioning my authority or skill Jethro?" "Neither, I'm questioning whether you have a brain that works or are you just running around like a headless chicken or are you being like an ostrich, ducking your head into the ground hoping that the problems will disappear on its own." He answered.

"As far as I'm concerned everything is going according to plan," she informed him smoothly. "Well if you consider this to be running smoothly I really don't want to see you run another investigation and I hope I don't have to work on the same team as you." This statement hit her hard and she wondered what she had done to piss him off so royally. "Okay Gibbs so you're pissed off, may I ask the reason?"

He lifted his hand and from his left breast inside pocket of his jacket produced a few photographs he had acquired from the crime scene last night. "Sit" he ordered and she obeyed. He placed the photographs on her desk and she paled at the sight of them.

"Where did you get these Jethro?" "Does it matter?" "They could be fake; someone could be trying to bait you!" "They're not fake Director I took them myself last night." At this revelation she was definitely surprised, and he knew she had been caught. "At least my friend Fornell here decided I was important enough to be let into the loophole, Thanks Fornell."

Cassidy walked up to the desk and the horror showed on her face immediately. She had never in her life seen a person beaten up as much as the woman in the photograph was, and what made it even worse was that this time it was not just one of the victims, it was one of them, one of their own, it was someone she had known personally. It was heart wrenching to see one of their own colleagues in such a state even though it came with the territory of being Special Agents.

"Do you think that's bad?" Gibbs asked "How about these?" He produced more pictures this time showing the woman in a hospital bed attached to all the machines. "She needs a machine to help her breath," Gibbs was yelling at the top of his voice by now, the pain and anger evident in his voice.

"And now Director Sheppard you are going to fix this" he ordered her, "Since you were the one responsible for putting her in this position. And just so you know you only have until sunset to do so" he threw the note in her face and exited her office.

"Damn her whole plan had backfired on her and the one man she was hoping to get close to; she had managed to push as far away from her as she possibly could. There was no going back from here and she was sure he would ever forgive her if anything happened to the woman in the pictures. She needed to come up with a plan and soon."

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Feedback would be appreciated as usual.

laterz

hellraiser


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**A/N: **We're almost at the end of this one I hope. I had a bit of writer's block for this chapter and so my friend Yumzz helped me out a bit. Thanks Yumzz. To the rest of you I hope it's not as bad I think it is. And a special thanks to dg101 who thinks my stories are good even when I dont. lol

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Chapter VIII

"Abbs you got anything on the bloods or the partial print yet?" he asked as he walked into the lab. "Hey Gibbs no nothing in the blood and the partial doesn't match anyone in the military database, Sorry Gibbs." "Abby run it against civilian and FBI database and see if you get a hit!"

Just as he was about to go to autopsy Ducky came rushing in "Jethro I'm glad I caught you. There was something I've been meaning to tell you. The commander and the lady we picked up today were killed in the same way. I can't believe we missed it." "Ducky now is not the time just spit it out" Gibbs egged the ME on. "Both victims died because of an irregular heartbeat, though whoever did this wanted us to think it was the beating up that killed them.

"In a language that I understand please Ducky?" "Come on Jethro" Ducky took Gibbs to autopsy to show him his findings. Stopping first at the Commander Ducky showed Gibbs what looked like a needle mark. "This is where a needle was poked and I'm guessing whatever was inside the syringe caused their deaths." "But Abby said there were no drugs or anything in the blood." Gibbs replied.

"Well a syringe full of air pumped into the heart could be fatal as well," Palmer voiced his thoughts. Gibbs looked uncertainly at him, "This true Duck?" he asked Ducky for confirmation. "Yes Jethro; why Mr Palmer I overlooked that aspect." "How do you know about that Palmer?" Gibbs asked. "Just something I read in a medical journal the other day!" he replied.

The realization dawned on Gibbs. Who ever was doing this was part of the medical personnel at Bethesda Hospital. "Shit" he said as she bolted out the doors taking Cassidy with him. Getting into his car he raced to Bethesda as fast as he could. The doctor who had treated the victim in the emergency room had just showed up and the nurses were surprised to find that there was a new doctor on call that night. And he knew that she was the second victim of the lunatic suspect. Damn how could he have missed that crucial piece of information?

Skidding to a halt he jumped out of the car barking orders at Cassidy. "Get DiNozzo and McGee here ASAP and tell them to bring a team as well." He raced to the room she was in and barged in without knocking, his heart was in his throat, and he was definitely panicked not knowing what to expect when he entered. "Kate" he shouted as he opened the door with more force than was necessary.

"Hey Gibbs" she smiled and he was relieved that she was still in her room and still breathing. He saw that most of he wires and pipes were now taken off and she only had the IV saline drip running just incase she needed any other medication injected, they would use the same entry point.

The relief showed on his face which prompted her to ask, "What happened Gibbs? You look like your world just turned upside down!" He ran a hand nervously through his hair making it stand at the sides. He wanted to take her into his arms and just hold her just to make sure it was her and tell her it was going to be all right.

"Kate has anybody been in here to see you?" he asked trying not to sound too panicked. "Besides for the nurse? No Gibbs" "When did you wake up?" "Apparently just a few minutes after you left - I guess I missed you!" she offered him a weak smile.

"Agent Todd do you remember what happened last night?" Gibbs was back to Agent mode knowing that if he was anything else he would kill the bastard as soon as he walked into the room, this way he hands would be tied by the law. "I was helping Director Sheppard on a case with Fornell and his team and I was walking along the road where we had found the Commander earlier that morning. The next thing I knew was I was lying on the floor and the guy who was with me had bolted."

"Was he the one that hit you?" Gibbs's hands were clenching and unclenching as the anger built up in him. "No Gibbs it was not. I tried to defend myself and I know I hit him hard on the hip with my gun; there should be swelling or a bruise there. Then he hit me hard on the head and I passed out, next thing I knew I was here in hospital with a thousand tubes and wires attached to me."

"Kate if he comes in front of you again will you be able to ID him?" Gibbs knew it was a long shot but he had to ask just to make sure. "I think so Gibbs" She reached for the cup of water on the table in front of her and winced in pain as she stretched out to reach for it. He saw her in pain and was immediately at her bedside helping her get the cup. "Thanks Gibbs."

"So you missed me hey?" he couldn't help asking her the question. "Well for the last 24 hours there was no one barking orders at me or forcing me to do desk work or mundane filing of reports," she smiled wider than the last time, and for the first time in the last 36 hours he felt at a bit at peace and relaxed.

He looked around nervously for a chair to sit on but there was none. Kate saw him doing this and smiled even wider before she suggested, "Gibbs why don't you just sit here on the bed with me? I won't bite… Really…" she joked and he took the opportunity to be close to her. Moving the wires away from him he sat down lightly on the bed, taking her hand in his and stroking the back of her hand gently with his thumb.

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**A/N 2: **To th people who wanted this to be a Kibbs I hope this makes you guys happy. 

feedback is welcome

hellraiser.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **see chapter I

**A/N: **So here we are, the pen ultimate chapter. I didn't think I'd get this far but I did with everyone's constant encouragement. And for all those of you who wanted this to be a Kibbs hope this makes you guys hapy.

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Chapter IX

Their quiet moment was broken by the arrival of the rest of the team, after they had searched the whole ward and not found Gibbs. He quickly withdrew his hand from hers before any of the others could see what he was doing. He was not ready to deal with that part of his life just yet. That and the fact there was still a murderer on the loose and he was after Kate.

"Hey boss" Tony panted as he entered the room not fully looking up to see his boss and was quickly followed by Cassidy and McGee. "Glad we finally found you, after searching the entire floor - thanks for telling us where you were..." he continued. Only when McGee had said "oh my word" did Tony stop for a breath and gave McGee a confused look at the same time. "What's up with you Probie?"

McGee could not tear his gaze from the figure sitting next to his boss and managed to point his finger in their boss's direction. Tony took a closer look and was just as surprised to see Kate in the hospital gown and bed as McGee was to see her. "What the hell is going on here?" Tony asked harshly.

"Nothing you don't know about DiNozzo!" Gibbs replied in his most monotonous tone. "We're here to save victim number two," he tried to say it with the least emotion he could muster and manage to contain his anger at the same time. "So do you guys have a plan or are we just going to stand around and wait for something to go wrong?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

All three of them looked blankly at each other, not having a clue as to where to start. Gibbs saw this and decided to be nice and gave them a starting point. Then again he was the only one who had this specific shred of information as he was the one who had brought Kate in the night before.

"McGee you ask the casualty nurses who were on duty last night who the doctor on call was and get all the information you can on him. Cassidy and DiNozzo you two get a team here ASAP and have them dress like staff of the hospital, Cassidy you can go undercover as a doctor and DiNozzo you can schlep for her." Gibbs saw the reaction on Tony's face and couldn't suppress his laughter and was soon joined by Kate, McGee and Cassidy. "Come on guys we don't have much time," he said before Tony could protest.

"What about you Agent Gibbs?" Cassidy asked innocently. She had seen the reaction Gibbs had when they had barged unannounced into Kate's room and from the look in Kate's eye she knew there was something more than just the boss looking out for his subordinate thing. She was a woman she could pick up on these things. "Someone has to stay with Kate!" he said with finality and they all knew there was no point in further arguing or questioning.

Within seconds they had all dispersed to do the tasks Gibbs had ordered them to do, with all of them wanting to get this over with as soon as they could and get Kate out of dangers way. DiNozzo and Cassidy were the quickest to get their tasks done as they had the easy bit, with Cassidy helping McGee wherever she could finding information on the 'casualty doctor' from the previous night.

x x x

By nightfall Tony had all the people in place and since McGee had found all the details of the murderer they knew exactly who they were looking for. They were all as alert as ever, with none of them wanting to lose a fellow agent and friend. Kate was the one who held the team together and losing her meant losing the team, something they were not willing to do at any cost.

They knew from the perp's record he was not one to miss a chance to inflict pain and torture on a woman especially if she survived the first time, however this time they were ready for him, and true to his word he showed up in the early hours of the morning before the rays of the sun had even decided to peek out from the darkness.

He entered Kate's room in silence, not knowing there were agents watching his every move and they were waiting for him to make the wrong move. Kate had stiffened the moment she heard the door handle turn, even though she knew Gibbs would not let anyone hurt her. He showed an over-protective streak toward her and not for the first time she really liked him for it.

Gibbs saw the perp pull out two syringes from his coat, placing them on the stand next to Kate's bed. He picked up one and Gibbs saw him inject something into Kate's IV line, then he took the other one in one hand and with his free hand started feeling Kate's body, looking for the right spot to inject the syringe full of air into Kate's heart.

Finding the point he wanted he raised the syringe holding hand and was about to stick the needle into her body when he was struck with force in his lower back causing him to shout in pain and dropped whatever was on the stand next to Kate's bed fall to the floor with resulting in noise and what sounded like chaos.

Gibbs had wasted no time in finding anything he could use as a weapon to hit the bastard who wanted to kill his Kate… and the metal rod lying on the floor proved to be the perfect weapon. Hearing the commotion inside the room DiNozzo and McGee rushed in guns drawn, not knowing what to expect. When they entered and switched on the lights they saw blood on the floor coming from the man's hands and face.

He had cut himself as he fell to the floor when he was struck with the rod. DiNozzo cuffed him immediately and grinned dopily at Gibbs and Kate. "You guys okay?" he needed to make sure. "Yeah Tony thanks" Kate replied. Gibbs's gaze was fixed on the bleeding man and Tony knew he should get the bastard out of Gibbs's sight before he lost his temper and did any more damage to the man.

"I'll take him to HQ and we'll keep him there until you're ready to interrogate him Boss" Tony said as he walked out. "Actually guys you and McGee can do this one… there's something I need to take care of first and I need a bit of sleep before I come back to work," Gibbs replied. "Cassidy you can go with them, I'll see you guys later." They left him to that knowing whatever he had to finish up was important as he never left interrogation to anyone else.

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Review as you leave. It will be much appreciated.

Just a short note to let you guys know I'm having a tattoo done on my wrist done this afternoon, which might make it a bit difficult for me to type and therefore there might be a delay in the uploasding of the last chapter.

thanks

be cool

hellraiser


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **See chapter I

**A/N: **I know I said it might be a while for this chapter to appear but I needed to vent and this somehow took shape in my mind. This is the final chapter and I'm surprised that I managed it. To all of you who read and enjoyed it a big thank you and to those who left a review for me a double thanks. [A/N 2 at end of chapter Okay enough babbling and on with the show

Oh yes the song belongs to Faith Hill and her people.

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Chapter X

Having finished the interrogation of the murderer they all decided to go back to the hospital and see Kate. They still could not believe she was on the receiving end of such violence and what was even worse was that Gibbs didn't mention anything to them. "Why do you think Gibbs didn't tell us what happened?" Tony asked the other three occupants in the car. "Tony you are so unobservant" Cassidy stated, "He didn't say anything because he was scared he'd lose the woman he loves." Both McGee and Tony looked at her confusedly.

"I would bet you 50 bucks that Gibbs is not in love with Kate" Tony said as he thought it was the most ridiculous idea he had ever heard. "I say he is in love with her and I know I'm right" Abby stated. "If I am correct you Tony have to take Agent Cassidy out on a date this Saturday," she smiled, "and not treat her how you did the last time!" the Goth girl threatened at the same time

x x x

"Hey you okay?" Gibbs asked Kate softly. "I'm good, I'll survive" she joked. "I'm sorry Gibbs, I should have told you about what the director wanted me to do. It was a stupid decision not to tell you and…" he stopped her talking by placing his finger on her lips. "Like you said Kate, you're okay and that is all that matters right now. He sat on the bed next to her, once again taking her hand in his.

_I can feel the magic floating in the air_

_Being with you gets me that way_

_I watch the sunlight dance across your face_

_I've never been this swept away_

"Come on close your eyes you should get some rest, it's been a stressful few days for you Kate," he suggested. "I can say the same for you Gibbs" she whispered in return. "You don't look too good either." "I'll be okay" he said as he stood up to make his way out of her room to let her rest in peace. She didn't however let go of his hand and held on tighter as he tried to pull away.

"Kate…" he started but she didn't let him finish. "Would you stay with me Gibbs?" it was a request he couldn't deny her, or himself for that matter. She shifted on the bed making a little space for him and he walked back to the bed lying down next to her, placing his one arm possessively around her waist and the other under her head as a cushion.

_All my thoughts seem to set along the breeze_

_When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms_

_The whole world fades away _

_The only thing I hear is _

_The beating of your heart_

Enjoying the feeling of having Kate next to him in his arms he suddenly felt like this was how it was always supposed to be. This was what life was about, being with the people you loved the most and he most definitely loved Kate.

_Cause I can feel you breathe washing over me_

_And suddenly I'm melting into you _

_There's nothing left to prove_

_Baby what we need is just to feel_

_Caught up in the touch the slow and steady rush _

_Baby isn't that the way that love supposed to be_

_I can feel you breathe_

_Just breathe…._

All his resolve to uphold his Rule 12 crumbles as he feels Kate's petite hand entwine with his and places her face extremely close to his so he can feel her breath on his skin. All the rules he made up to keep himself from falling in love and having another relationship flies out the window as he sees her expression of utter bliss of as a result of him being next to her.

_In a way I know my heart is waking up _

_As all the walls come tumbling down_

_Closer than I've ever felt before _

_And I know and you know _

_There's no need for words right now_

There is no need to say anything as their eyes convey what is going on in their minds and they realise that their hearts are beating in sync. Nothing in the world could be more perfect than this and with that thought running through both their minds they close their eyes and lie in each others arms not caring about who could and probably would walk in on them as they slept.

_Cause I can feel you breathe washing over me_

_And suddenly I'm melting into you _

_There's nothing left to prove_

_Baby what we need is just to feel_

_Caught up in the touch the slow and steady rush _

_Baby isn't that the way that love supposed to be_

_I can feel you breathe_

_Just breathe…._

_I can feel the magic floating in the air_

_Being with you gets me that way_

A few minutes later the four musketeers arrive at Kate's room and before they can enter a nurse warns them to be quiet as she thinks they have just fallen asleep. "What do you mean they?" Tony raised and eyebrow at the nurse as though she was insane. "She and her boyfriend" the nurse answered, making them more interested than ever.

Slowly they turned the handle and entered the room and came face to face with a sight they never thought they'd ever see in their lives. Gibbs – their boss – was in bed with a woman but this was not just any woman this was their team mate Kate. "I guess you owe Agent Cassidy a date Tony…" Abby giggled "And you'd better not take her to some cheap restaurant DiNozzo cause then I'd kick your ass" Gibbs finished. "NOW GO" he barked making them leave in a rush.

The Director had also showed up after Tony and Co had left and felt like she was hit in the gut when she entered the room and saw the position Gibbs and Kate were in. They were still as close to each other as possible, and all traces of a boss-subordinate relationship had disappeared. Thinking they wouldn't hear her she started her monologue.

"Jethro I'm sorry I didn't mean for this to happen, all I wanted to do was get Agent Todd away from you as I was jealous of the attention you gave her, but I can see now where your heart lies and that I'll never have a place in your life again. I guess I was hanging onto a false hope."

She turned to leave but stopped when she heard Gibbs's voice, "you almost cost me my life Madame Director, and you're right you will never be a part of my life again. Now Kate needs her rest and you have an agency to run so I suggest you leave. One more thing it's Agent Gibbs and not Jethro" She turned on her heel and left, not wanting him to see the tears that were making its way down her cheeks.

"Gibbs if you keep talking how am I ever going to get rest?" Kate asked playfully. "Kate you have me in bed with you and all you can think of is sleeping, I'm hurt," he mocked her. Taking the chance she moved her mouth up to his and kissed him gently.

"Satisfied?" she raised an eyebrow at him, but smiling all the same. "Not at all" he responded and the second time it's him who plants one on her.

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**A/N 2**: As I said earlier I needed to vent and came up with this. It was not the plan I had in mind but a friend of mine read it and liked this ending better so I hope you guys feel the same. Let me know what you guys think. I thought it was cheesy but I was convinced otherwise by my friends 

By the way my tatoo is healing well and surprisingly there is no pain at all. Hoping to get another one in six weeks time though still have to come up with a design.

leave a review on your way out please.

thanks

hellraiser.


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